What I Learned in 2017

It's the last day of 2017 and so much has happened this year, I am not even sure where to begin. I did so much this last year, more than I ever thought possible both professionally and personally. This year was a year of me living my dreams!

i learned to live with just what i needed

Living out of just a carry on suitcase and a backpack, traveling to multiple cities in the same week - it all means that there's not a lot of room for extra stuff. I learned how to pack a suitcase nice and neatly, maximizing space. I also learned what I really needed and what I didn't need. Many of the things in my suitcase when I first took off in January had been sold or donated by summer, because I hadn't used them in the time they'd spent in my suitcase. I've worn the same pair of Tieks for most of 2017, only recently switching to a brand new pair of Rothys when I started at Google. I also really slimmed down my essentials, combining beauty products and learning to air-dry my hair.

i learned to go with the flow

I'm the kind of person that plans things out way in advance. There's a plan for how I'm going to plan to do things (the word pre-plan is appropriate, although it's an oxymoron). I learned to let go and to let the adventures happen as they wanted to.

i learned to say yes to opportunity

There's a lot to be said for 180-degree pivots. I made a couple of those this year, the biggest of which being my decision to take a job at Google. This turned out to be one of the most pivotal experiences of this year (no pun intended). I'm now happily back in Corporate America, though Google is analogous to Disney World in many ways. I'm back to the side hustle, back to juggling all the things, and back to learning so much every single day. I also said yes to speaking more than 60 times this year at conferences across the globe - an experience I will never forget. It's been a tremendous adventure getting to make this life a reality.

i learned to ask for help

More than once this year, my place to stay vanished last minute, a flight was cancelled, or my bank account was frozen. (Yep, switched banks twice this year, it's amazing how similar the patterns of a nomad and a money launderer apparently are.) This extended beyond nomad life and eventually became a new habit.